1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to the art of retainer assemblies. In particular, the present invention relates to a retainer assembly for attaching a lock cylinder to a vehicle door panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle manufacturers have long been faced with the problem of attaching a lock cylinder to a door panel. The lock cylinder must partially extend outside of the door panel to allow for the easy insertion of a key into a lock cylinder facing by a vehicle operator, and must also partially extend inside of the door panel so that it may be attached to the door panel via one or more retainer assemblies. In the past, vehicle manufacturers have produced retainer assemblies that are very thin in relation to the longitudinal length of the lock cylinder. Such retainers typically have two prongs that engage flanges disposed on the lock cylinder. This arrangement prevents the cylinder from being pulled out of the door panel. The diameter of the lock cylinder face is larger than the diameter of the aperture provided in the door panel and this prevents the lock cylinder from being pushed into the door panel. Current retainer clips have prongs that bow in convex fashion away from the door panel. Since the prongs do not fully engage the door panel, dimpling can occur where the cylinder face, washer, and door panel meet. This creates an aesthetically unattractive appearance on the outside of the vehicle door panel.
In addition, the typical thin retainer assemblies have a small bending moment, thus creating possible instances whereby the lock cylinder may be forced out of the aperture in the door panel via rotational forces being asserted on the lock cylinder. Such forces may break the thin prongs of the retainer assembly. Moreover, with enough force, the lock cylinder can be pulled or pried out of the body aperture wherein it is disposed; and allow access to the vehicle interior.
A further disadvantage with past retainer assemblies is that they are typically made of steel or other corrosive metals. A lock cylinder that is not properly sealed to the door panel may allow for the introduction of environmental elements such as water and salt to come into contact with the metal retainer assembly. This has the undesirable consequence of allowing for corrosion of the retainer assembly and thereby further weakening the holding force exerted on the lock cylinder by the retainer assembly.
A still further disadvantage in the prior art is that wide flanges are not provided at the base of the retainer clip to further prevent theft situations such as where a thief pierces the door panel with a sharp instrument and disengages an anti-theft device that may be in contact with the lock cylinder. Moreover, current anti-theft devices that are deactivated when the lock cylinder is turned, fail to provide a means for preventing deactivation of the anti-theft device.